Helmut's direct lineage even had red-colored tents.
Some might complain that they were obsessively fixated on red, but having a personal color was surprisingly important.
Especially in a battlefield like this, red tents stood out clearly.
In urgent situations or moments of crisis, people needed to be able to look toward Helmut.
To turn their heads without difficulty, find them, and hold onto hope.
That was the purpose of the red.
Even after entering the large tent, the bickering between the two direct descendants showed no signs of stopping.
"This is so annoying! Sis, Lohengrin is sleeping in another tent, right? Just because we're family doesn't mean we have to share the same one, right?"
"Shut up! The battlefield is not your playground! I bet you packed a bunch of snacks again, thinking this was some kind of picnic!"
"I know the North better than you do! Sis, please. I really don't want to share a tent with him. He grinds his teeth like crazy!"
"Both of you, knock it off."
Liana let out a sigh, shedding the dignified demeanor she displayed outside.
This was a place for Helmut alone, so there was no need to be as forceful as she was in public.
"Sharen, how have you been? It's been almost half a year since we last met. You've grown a bit taller, haven't you?"
"Hehe, Sis, I think you've grown a little too!"
"Really?"
"That's nonsense."
Both women turned their gazes toward Lohengrin at the same time. The eldest son, pouting, clenched his fists and shouted.
"Quit catching up and focus on preparing for the northward advance! Damn it—! This is so frustrating—!"
"Sir Eisenwolf warned you to mind your behavior."
"...!"
"Act properly. Helmut no longer holds the absolute dominance it once did. To be precise, it's crumbling."
Even saying it was "crumbling" felt like an understatement.
The gossips outright declared that Helmut had fallen.
From Galenia Helmut to Alois Helmut, they had betrayed humanity.
And in the end, even Arandel Helmut had died, with their lands thoroughly ravaged.
It was only natural that Helmut's influence was not what it used to be.
Silence filled the tent.
It was devastating to see Helmut, once an unshakable fortress, collapse in just a few short months.
"We just have to rebuild it."
Liana stated calmly.
"We'll restore it. That's our job. So be mindful of your actions. Especially—"
"Especially what?"
"Especially don't go around challenging people to duels so recklessly. We're in wartime. Every bit of stamina needs to be conserved."
"...."
Lohengrin's expression was full of dissatisfaction.
"The northward advance is about to begin. Soon, you won't even have the energy to duel."
"Hah, that's exactly why I want to do it today. I won't get another chance to fight that guy after this."
"Even so, you can't. Helmut cannot be seen losing."
"Me, losing?!"
Lohengrin shouted in indignation, but every knight of Helmut already knew that he had suffered multiple defeats against Isaac during the Blackson subjugation.
He had even lost miserably in the Sword Festival.
"This discussion is over. Lohengrin, if you have that much excess energy, go stand guard so the soldiers can rest."
"Damn it!"
Fuming, Lohengrin stormed out of the tent.
It seemed that more than the northern subjugation, he had been looking forward to another duel with Isaac.
"That guy's such an idiot."
Sharen, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, muttered.
It wasn't something Liana wanted to agree with—
But she couldn't exactly deny it either.
"Sharen, have you been well?"
"Yes, Sis! I've learned a lot outside!"
"I see…"
Lianna had also heard all the news about Isaac and Sharen.
The massacre at Volten had been shocking, Princess Adeline's assassination had been infuriating, and Princess Clarice's broken engagement had been absurd.
"Hey, Sharen."
"Yeah?"
Liana hesitated.
For the first time in her life, she seemed to be gauging her younger sister's reaction before carefully asking,
"You… got along well with Isaac, right?"
"Yeah! We got along great! Being with Isaac is fun! It's like… a lot of things keep happening?"
"...."
"There's even a maid at Isaac's house with a name similar to mine! So one time, I pretended to be a maid—!"
"Ahem, Sharen?"
"Yeah?"
The prickliness Sharen had shown to Lohengrin earlier had completely disappeared.
Thanks to that, Liana felt more comfortable asking her questions.
"Ah, I think Isaac has changed a bit."
"Changed? Has he?"
Sharen tilted her head.
Since she had been by his side, she hadn't really noticed any changes in him.
"Hmm… But from what I saw, he changed a lot."
"Really? Hmm, I'm not sure—."
She trailed off as a thought suddenly surfaced.
During their march to the North, they would set up tents and rest at night.
There were frequent sparring sessions for the sake of interaction, and in particular, Isaac often sparred with Marlin Leviath.
[That guy has changed.]
At that time, Sharen had recalled what the Grandmaster had said while watching their duels.
"Oh, now that I think about it, someone did say he had changed!"
"Right? I knew it—"
"They said he became kind of perverted."
"…What?"
Liana's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Sharen.
Meanwhile, Sharen responded with a bright, innocent smile.
"The Grandmaster said so! That he's perverted! That his persistence is excessive."
"P-Perverted… and persistent…?"
"Yeah! That's exactly what they said!"
Liana's crimson eyes began trembling violently.
***
Isaac finished setting up his tent.
Even though the sun was still high in the afternoon sky, the Northern chill bit at him, causing his breath to come out in visible puffs.
However, the cold was clearly weaker than before.
Perhaps it was because the Malidan Wall, which had been magically amplifying the cold, had disappeared.
'Silverna…'
He couldn't help but worry.
A woman who had only just begun to bloom.
Not like last time, when she was a wildflower forced to blossom through tragedy and sorrow.
He wished for her to grow into a wintersweet, flourishing through passion and effort instead.
"What are you thinking about?"
"...."
A voice called out to him from behind.
Slowly, Isaac turned around.
Standing there was a noblewoman from the Leviath family, her striking blue-green hair unmistakable.
Marlin, the one he had been sparring with almost daily.
'As always, she's incredibly good at hiding her presence.'
Whether it was just her nature or not, her stealthy movements were impressive enough to earn praise even from the Grandmaster.
A complete contrast to her brother, who was always flashy and stood out wherever he went.
"What brings you here?"
"Do you have a sparring match scheduled with Lohengrin Helmut?"
Her tendency to speak only about what was necessary might be something she inherited from her brother.
Or perhaps, it was simply her way of dealing with her lack of sociability.
"No. I don't think there will be a match."
"Then, would you cross swords with me?"
"All of a sudden? It's not difficult, but now that we've arrived in the North, I should prepare—"
"My brother told me to do it."
"...."
"He said he needed to go find Liana Helmut, so he ordered me to keep Baron Logan occupied."
Her expression remained indifferent as she spoke, but there was a faint trace of guilt in her demeanor.
"So I figured the only thing I could do was spar."
"…You must have it rough."
She gave a small nod.
Honestly, if this had been during the march, Isaac might have felt some vague dissatisfaction.
But after witnessing Liana's reaction earlier, he felt nothing in particular.
'He's going to get his ass kicked.'
Liana was the type to draw a strict line between personal and professional matters.
Anyone foolish enough to flirt on the battlefield should consider themselves lucky if they only got beaten and thrown out.
"...."
Isaac let out a sigh as he stared at Marlin.
She blinked up at him, her expression unreadable.
At times, she seemed pure.
At times, she appeared completely emotionless.
And yet, there was also something deeply buried within her.
"Are you okay with this?"
Unable to hold back, Isaac finally spoke.
Marlin tilted her head slightly, then asked,
"What do you mean?"
"Following Reian Leviath's orders. If you don't want to do something, you can say so. If you keep silent, no one will ever understand what you truly want."
"...."
"I mean it."
It was a painful piece of advice.
Marlin pondered his words for a moment, absentmindedly touching the sword at her waist.
"Then—"
"Yes, then?"
"Please make our sparring match cleaner."
"...."
A response he hadn't expected.
Marlin spoke as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"Every time we spar, I know you're trying to see more of Leviath's sword style, dragging out the match."
"It honestly feels like I'm being dissected, like you're persistently and obsessively studying me."
"I often feel like I'm being stripped bare in front of everyone."
"Honestly… I thought you were a pervert."
"Ahem!"
Isaac awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away.
"I mean, it's just that every time I peel back another layer of Leviath's magic sword techniques, there's always something new…"
Especially since he could see many aspects that could be incorporated into his own use of his unique energy, he had unintentionally gotten a little too excited and prolonged their matches.
"Ahem. If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize."
"It's fine."
Marlin accepted his apology without much emotion, her fingers still idly tracing the tip of her sword.
Yet, she remained standing there.
Most likely, she was staying put to carry out her brother Reian's orders until the end.
Honestly, Isaac thought that Liana and Marlin were quite similar.
Neither of them showed their emotions easily, both were beautiful, and both were devoted to their family.
But after seeing Liana in person again after a long time, he decided to withdraw that thought.
"Now that I look at it—"
They were different.
Clearly different.
He couldn't quite put it into words, but they were distinctly separate individuals. Perhaps it was because Liana Helmut held a certain special meaning for him.
"Are you going to spar?"
Marlin's question made Isaac hesitate for a moment before nodding.
"Let's do it."
After all, a task needed to be done.
***
"Ah, don't get the wrong idea!"
"There's this girl named Marlin, and she gives off a really similar vibe to my sister."
"The reason sparring with her seems perverted is because of that."
"..."
Hearing Sharen's words, Liana simply nodded with a calm expression. She was well aware of Isaac's habit of obsessively analyzing swords.
It didn't take her long to realize that his habit had become even more extreme.
"Similar to Liana?"
"When did you get back?"
Lohengrin had somehow returned to the tent without anyone noticing. Sitting on his bedding, he smirked.
"That guy never changes. Acting all noble, but in the end, he's still just another man."
"What are you saying?! Isaac is nothing like you!"
"..."
Sharen shrieked.
Liana, on the other hand, turned to Lohengrin with a questioning gaze, silently demanding an explanation.
Lohengrin clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Think about it. Why do you think Isaac married Liana?"
"Hmm? Because he likes my sister?"
"..."
"Exactly. In the end, it's just about preference."
It wasn't wrong.
After all, Isaac did fall for Liana at first sight.
"I just saw him outside. He's sparring with that Leviath girl right now. Ha! They say men are honest when it comes to their swords and their dicks, and it looks like he's no different."
"..."
Liana's confusion deepened.
What the hell was he talking about?
As she stared at him in search of an answer, Lohengrin shrugged with a mocking grin.
"Doesn't he have a peculiar taste in women? He only surrounds himself with quiet, expressionless girls."
"...!"
"Well, he sure knows how to pick them, doesn't he? First a Helmut, now a Leviath girl. Just wait—after this whole mess is over, we might just hear wedding bells—Ughh?!?"
Fwoooosh!!
A blast of Liana's aura sent Lohengrin's body bouncing off the ground and rolling straight out of the tent.
"Ohh… I failed when I tried that."
Sharen unconsciously clapped at the sight.
Crash!
"Gaaah?! What are you doing, Sir Lohengrin?!"
"Goddammit—!"
A commotion erupted outside.
It seemed that Lohengrin, still rolling, had crashed straight into Reian, entangling the two into a mess.